One day they were all three at the depot again.  Wing, of course, was there in the discharge of his usual duties.  Annie had walked down to welcome a friend whom she expected, and Ellison had come because it gave him an opportunity to be with her.  As the railroad approached the town from the west it passed through a deep cut, from which it came out on a low embankment, and rounded a sharp curve before it reached the station, a few yards beyond.  The roar of the oncoming train was borne to them on the wind and before it emerged from the cut a ridiculous little figure darted out of the crowd on the platform and raced down the track to the curve.  It was dressed in a Chinese blouse and trousers of faded and dirty blue denim, while a pair of old Chinese slippers, partly covering the feet, left in full view two bare, brown heels.

“There goes Wing!” exclaimed one man to another.  “That kid ’s going to get killed at this little trick of his some day.”

The train rushed at the curve with a shout that was thrown back from the hills, and the people on the platform held their breath—­though to many of them it was nothing new—­as with flying feet and monkey-like agility the Chinee Kid danced backward on the track.  There was a brief vision of a pair of big, blue sleeves waving in the air, of a black, flying queue, and of a pair of twinkling feet, and then with sparkling eyes, a triumphant countenance and a loud “Ki-yi!” Wing leaped to the platform, the engine scarcely a yard behind him.

“Is it lots of fun, Wing?” said Annie, smiling at him indulgently.

“Bet your boots it is!” he shouted as he darted off to inspect the dismounting passengers.

“See here, Wing,” said Ellison, putting his hand in a kindly way on the boy’s shoulder, “you mustn’t do that!  You’ll get killed at it some day.”

Wing looked up at him with an uncomprehending stare, wriggled from under his detaining hand, stopped long enough to shake his head with a stolid “No sabe,” and then dodged away.

Annie had heard the little dialogue and now turned to Ellison with a merry laugh.  Her friend had not come, and as they walked back together she began to rally him about Wing’s refusal to understand anything he said.  It nettled him slightly and he replied that people made entirely too much of the little ape, and that if they would teach him better manners instead of petting him so much, it would be a good thing for him as well as for the public comfort.

Then Annie took up his case rather warmly and declared that he was a cute little thing, and that his manners were all right if he was treated with good manners in the first place.  The consequence was that by the time they reached her gate they were deep in the lurid entanglements of a lovers’ quarrel.

The previous day she had taken a horseback ride with a man of whom Ellison strongly disapproved.  He had intended to explain the matter to her calmly and tell her just what kind of man the other was, and why it was unwise for her to accept his attentions.  But in the heat of temper engendered by their quarrel about Wing, he lost his bearings, and what he had meant should be a request for her not to show the man any favor again became very like an explicit command.